Effect of Dopant on Improving Structural, Density and Functional Properties of Ceria Based SOFC Electrolyte

In the present work, Gadolinium Doped ceria (GDC) based solid electrolyte was successfully synthesized through wet chemical method to operate at intermediate temperature (500–700°C) for SOFCs. DSC study revealed the formation of GDC phase at 900°C during calcination. The crystal structure of GDC was identified as cubic fluorite phase and the crystallite size was found to be around 23 nm. The density of the material was found to increase with increase the conventional sintering temperature and the concentration of gadolinium content. SEM analysis revealed that the particles were uniform in size and shape. From the above results it was understood that the obtained particle was a single crystallite with the absence of agglomeration. Functional group analysis, confirmed the O-H bond stretching. Hence, GDC based electrolyte can be a good choice for SOFC applications.